Thursday, May 31, 2012

After some thought I decided that just cookies wasn't nearly enough to thank my kids AWESOME teachers so I took it one step further... A Summer Survival Kit

I found these super cute insulated totes on major sale at Swoozies They're kind of an extra large lunch tote- one could easily fit lunch for 4 in it to take to the pool or park. I planned on monogramming them when I got home but I couldn't flip the front pocket enough to fit inside my hoop. Oh well, the bag itself is pretty darn cute!

Then I filled it with a magazine (People for Nugget's teacher's who are early 30's and Our State for Munchkin's who are somewhere over 50), Country time Lemondade, a Citronella candle and my homemade Strawberry Lemonade cookies. Cute, right? What more do you need for a nice early summer evening on the back deck??

Monday, May 21, 2012

The kitchen is my favorite room in my house. By far. I have tons of cabinet and counter space and (thanks to a busted pipe and State Farm) some killer appliances. One thing I have never loved is math. Numbers and I just do not get along, at all. Beacuse of this I've never been much for baking. All the precise measuring just doesn't ring my bell. So I look for shortcuts whenever possible. A few years ago someone introduced me to cake mix cookies. Yes. You can make cookies from a box cake mix. It's like angels singing from Heaven, it's so easy!

The end of the school year has snuck up on me... I can NOT believe this is the last week. We are so fortunate to have a preschool with an amazing curriculum and teachers that are beyond fantastic, I feel the need to do a little something extra for Munchkin and Nugget's teachers to thank them for all their hard work this year. What to do for end of year teacher gifts? The options are endless but I've always felt a little homemade something means just a little bit more. But what screams "summer time?" Hmmmm.... beach balls, strawberries, ice cream, lemonade, sandcastles. I could go on for days. But what could I make to include some of those things? Thanks to Pinterest I came across these little beauties... Strawberry Lemonade Cookies!!

Pinterest linked me to Mothers Mementos for the recipe. Ok, I love the sweet message in her blog post. However, I refuse to acknowledge the fact that my sweet, 3 year old, Nugget will ever leave my house to be someone's husband so I won't wax poetic on all that right now. More to the point, the cookies are delish! I changed it up a tad and left out the powdered sugar part because, let's be honest here... it's summer and we're all trying to get into bathing suits. I think that any added calories at this point are unnescessary.

All you need fote these cookies is a box of strawberry cake mix, a box of lemon cake mix, 4 eggs, 2/3 C vegetable oil (divided), and lemon extract.

Take about 1 tbs lemon batter and roll into ball, then do the same with the strawberry. Roll the two balls together to form one larger ball. When it's all said and done they should look something like this.

Pop those bad boys into the oven for 11-14 minutes. Prepare to delight your tastebuds. Or your neighbors, or friends, or postman, or whomever you deem worthy of these yummy treats.

Preheat your oven to 375*. Dump each mix into separate bowls. Add 2 eggs, 1/3 C vegetable oil and 1 tsp lemon extract to each. Stir to combine. Roll about 1 tbs lemond dough into a ball, do the same with the strawberry. Roll the two balls into on larger ball and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 11-14 minutes. Makes about 36 cookies.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

So I've tried this before and quickly tired of it. Perhaps that was because I felt "obligated" to keep people informed on a daily basis how and what my Munchkin and Nugget were doing (like anyone -outside of family- cared! Ha!), while at the same time chasing those two monsters around and changing a diaper every ten minutes.

So this will be a new beginning, a new Holcomb House blog. I'd like to focus on food, as I love to cook. Maybe I'll throw in some family ridiculousness every now and then, just for giggles.

So, without further ado.... here goes nothin'...

PS- That's a picture of my crazy crew. With a 3 and 4 year old that's about as good a family shot as we get. I'm ok with it. We've got a "pick your battles" kind of vibe going.